Treatment with hydrogenating gases of distillable carbonaceous materials



M. #IER Er AL Nov. 3o, 1'937.

TREATMENT WITH HYDROGENATTNG GASES OF DISTILLABLE CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS Filed March 9,- 19:55

,ww m

kwak 30 .Else w 0.

.III

nUu ,A AI

Patented Nov. 30, 1,937

TREATMENT WITH HYDROGENATTNG GASES oF DISTILLABLE CAnBoNAoEoUs MATERIALS Mathias Pier, Heidelberg, and Walter Simon and Georg` Grassl, Ludwigshafen-on-the-Rhine, Germany, assignors to Standard-I. G. Company, Linden, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application March 9, 1935, serial No. 10,336

In Germany March 10, 1934 l 10 halogen 'or halogen compounds as catalysts.

We have now found, that the yields of valuable hydrocarbons and/or the properties of the products obtained are appreciably improved if, when using halogens, hydrogen halides or such halogen l compounds, which under the reaction conditions are able to split off halogen or hydrogen halide, in particular halogen compounds of non-metals, as for example organic halogen compounds, there is Worked in the presence of nue-granular, e. g.

2@ pulverulent free metals, which are preferably nely distributed in the materials'to be treated. The halogens, hydrogen halides and the halogen compounds of non-metals capable of splitting oi halogen or hydrogen halides under the Working 25 conditions are referred to as non-metallic substances comprising free halogen or hydrogen halide.

For instance, in the treatment of coal the conversion is increased and the asphalt content of 3@ the nal products is reduced as compared with Working with halogen alone, without application of nely distributed metal.

A further advantage of the process consists in that the amount of halogens, hydrogen halides or 35 halogen compounds, which under the reaction conditions are able to split off halogen or hydrogen halide, to be appled as a .catalyst can be reduced considerably, say to one third, as compared with Working with the said halogen and 40 halogen compounds alone, without impairing the catalytic action, which renders it possible to preserve the material of the apparatus very appreciably and to use less expensive materials for the construction ,of the apparatus. When using e5 metals from groups 2 to 4 of the periodic'system the amount of halogen may be still further reduced.

As comminuted, in particular finely distributed metals are advantageously used, iron, nickel or 50 cobalt, further zinc, aluminium, tin, lead, cadmium, chromium, rhenium, germanium, manganese, titanium, silver,v copper, magnesium, beryllium and the like or metal alloys, such as bronze, brass, magnalum, aluminium bronze and 5d the like,lpreferab1y in the form of powder.l The met'al may also be applied in a finely distributed state on carriers, such as brown coal small coke, active silica and the like, and these carriers introduced into the apparatus in a fine-granular or pulverulent state. The metals may also be added in the form of finely divided, readily reducble compounds, and these reduced to metals before the start of the reaction. For instance, coal inthe form of dust may be thoroughly mixed with iron oxide and the latter reduced to metal by passing over a stream of hydrogen at temperatures below the decomposition temperature of the coal. Of the halogens, besides bromine and iodine, mainly chlorine cornes into consideration. Be'- sides the corresponding hydrogen halides such halogen compounds as contain carbon and hydrogen may more particularly be employed for example, chloroform, iodoform, bromoform, the chlorine, bromine or iodine compounds of benzene, as also methylene, ethylene chloride and the like, further such inorganic halogen compounds, as e. g. ammonium chloride, which under the conditions of the reaction give oi halogen or hydrogen halide. Sometimes it may be of advantage to add the halogen in adsorbed state, for instance adsorbed in finely porous substances. Coal or other carbonaceous compounds, such as oils and the like, may also be pretreated with halogen and the substances pretreated in this manner, containing the halogen in a combined and adsorbed or dissolved state, added to the initial materials.

The hydrogen halides may be added to the initial materials to be treated in gaseous or vaporousor dissolved state, for example, dissolved inorganic solvents, such as oils.

The catalysts may be added before, after or during the preheating of the initial materials. It has proved thereby to be suitable to add the halogen only after the metal is already present. If the coal to be destructively hydrogenated contains in its ash sufficient amounts of readily reducible oxides, such as iron oxide, namely at least 0.5 per cent of said oxides, then the coal is subjected to a reducing treatment before the destructive hydrogenation. In this case the addition of further amounts of metal is under certain conditions superuous.

The amount of halogen and metal to be added in the reaction suitably amounts for each between 0.01 and per cent calculated on the initial material used, although the amount of the halogens is in many cases not above 2 per cent of thei weight of the vmaterials to be treated. When working with free hydrogen halide the amounts are preferably taken less than 2 per cent, more particularly less than 1 4per cent, calculated on the materials to be treated, since a disadvantageous polymerizing action of the hydrogen halide, in particular of hydrogen chloride which otherwise may sometimes occur, is practically avoided when these mixing proportions are adhered to.

When carrying out the present process other hydrogenation catalysts may also be applied, for instance compounds of metals of the 6th group of the periodic system or organic tin compounds, either with or without carriers.

The expression treatment with hydrogenating gases of distillable carbonaceous materials when employed in the present application is intended to comprise the most various reactions. Thus the 'expression includes the destructive hydrogenation of carbonaceous materials, such as coal of all varieties, including lignite, other solid carbonaceous materials, such as peat,- shales and wood, mineral oils, tars and the distillation, conversion and extraction products thereof. The said destructive hydrogenation may be used to produce hydrocarbons of all sorts, such as motor fuels and in particular anti-knock motorv fuels, solvent naphthas, middle oils, kerosene andlubricating oils.

The said reactions with hydrogen or hydrogen containing gases are usually carried out at temperatures between 200 and .700 C., preferably above 250 C., and as a rule between about 360 and 550 C. The pressures employed are usually in excess of 20 atmospheres and as a rule preferably in excess of 50 atmospheres. In some reactions, however, atmospheric pressure or pressures slightly above atmospheric may be employed. Generally however pressures of about 100, 200, 300, 500 and in some cases even\1000 atmospheres come into question.

The amount of hydrogen maintained in the reaction space and parts connected therewith, if any, varies greatly with the nature of the particular initial materials treated or according to the result in view. In general 300, 600, 1000, 2000 cubic meters or more of hydrogen, measured under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, per ton of carbonaceous material -treated may be used. The smallest amount of hydrogen employed per ton of carbonaceous material will be about 100 cubic meters of hydrogen and amounts of up to about 3000, 4000 cubicimeters or more may be employed in many cases.

The temperature, pressure and amount of hydrogen best adapted for any particular modiiication of the process are well-known to those skilled in the art.

'I'he accompanying drawing shows a diagrammatic sketch of suitable equipment for carrying out the invention. Referring to the drawing, the distillable carbonaceous material to be treated, such as an oil, is fed into line I through pump 2 and thence into line 3, into which hydrogen is also fed through line 4 and the mixture passes through the heating coil 5 located ina gas red preheating furnace 6.` After the oil-hydrogen mixture has been heated close .to a reaction temperature in the first, part of the'heatingc'oil 5, some of thecatalyst paste coming from feed line 1 is charged by means of pump 8`through line 9 into the heating coil 5 to prevent coking in the outlet portion of said coil. The resulting preheated mixture emerges from the furnace 6 through line I0 and after receiving an additional charge of catalyst paste by means of pump I I and line I2, it is fed into the inlet end of the reaction chamber I3. An additional supply of catalyst paste is charged by means of pump I4 through line I5 into the middle portion of the reaction chamber I3, from which the reaction products are withdrawn through line I6 and a reducing valve I'I into separator I8, from which the high boiling 'constituents and catalyst may be discharged through line I9, while the lighter constituents are carried over through line 20 into the separating column 2 I, from which a middle oil fraction may be withdrawn at the bottom through line 22 and either used as such or recycled through line 23 into original oil feed line I, while the volatile constituents are taken off from the top of separating column 2i through line 24 and condenser 25 into the stripper 26 from which a liquid naplrtha or A bituminous coal freed from ash is made into a. paste with a heavy oil obtained by def structive hydrogenation of the same coal, in the proportion of 1:1. Then 2.,per cent of zinc dust (calculated on coal) and 0.75 per cent (calculated on coal) of chlorine in the form of carbon tetrachloride or ammonium chloride are added to the coal paste thus obtained. The mixture is then heated together with hydrogen to 425 C. at a pressure of 250 atmospheres in a gas-heated preheater and passed in liquid state continuously through an adjacent reaction chamber. In this manner 93 per cent of the coal substance is converted mainly into liquid products containing 2 per cent of asphalt and consisting to the extent of up to 75 percent of components boiling up to 325 C.

. Example 2 A brown coal freed from ash is soaked with ammonium molybdate in suchl a manner that 0.2 per cent of molybdic acid is present in the coal, and made into a paste with a heavy oil obtained by destructive hydrogenation of the same coal in the proportion 1:1. Then 0.1 per cent of aluminium bronze and 0.75 per cent of chlorine (both calculated on coal) in the form of carbon tetrachloride are added to the coal paste. The coal paste is placed in a pressure vessel of 5 liters capacity, rotating around its longitudinal axis. Such a quantity of hydrogen is forced in that an initial pressure of atmospheres results. The

pressure vessel is hea'ted within three hours to,

390 C. and kept at this temperature for three more hours. A' maximum pressure of 250 atmospheres results thereby. 97 per. cent of the coal substance is converted into mainly liquid products containing 4 per cent ofv asphalt.

If the same reaction is effected without the addition of aluminium bronze, then the conversion of the coal amounts to 94 per cent, whilst the liquid products contain 12 per cent of asphalt.

Example 3 Bituminous coal freed from ash is soaked with a solution of ammonium molybdate to which a aman quantity of a wetting agent is added, in

, such a manner that 0.02 per cent of molybdio acid -f iron and 0.25 per cent (both calculated on coal) i, of chlorine in the form of carbon tetrachloride areV added to the coal paste. Thecoal paste then comes in a liquid state into a reaction vessel. With this procedure the conversion oi' the coal amolmts to 96.5 percent andthe liquid products consist to the extent of 97 per cent of gasoline and middle oil.

If the reaction is effected without the addition of iron, then it is necessary to use at least 0.75 per cent of chlorine in the form of carbon tetrachloride in order to achieve approximately the result:

mentioned.

Example 4 A heavy oil obtained by destructive hydrogenation of bituminous coal which contains 3 per cent cf components boiling up to 325 C. and 10 per cent of asphalt is brought into a rotating pressure vessel together with 2 per cent of molybdic acid. 0.2 per cent'of 'aluminium bronze and 0.25Vper cent of chlorine in the form o! chlorobenzene. The initial hydrogen pressure amounts to 110 atmospheres. 111e pressure vessel is then heated within three hours to 450 C. and maintained for two hours at this temperature. whereby the reacting material is in the liquid phase. Y The maximum pressure amounts to 220 atmospheres.. '111e liquid reaction products consist to the extent of 18.5 per cent oi components boiling up to 250 C.

and for 60 per cent of components boiling up to 325 C., and contain 4 per cent of asphalt.

If no aluminium bronze 'is added and when applying 0.75 per cent of chlorine in the form o! chlorobenzene under otherwise like 'reaction conditions. a liquid product is obtained containing 8 per cent of components boiling below 250 C.

and 48 per cent boiling below 325 C. The asphalt content amounts to 4 per cent.

s Example 5 A bituminous coal freed from ash is made into .a paste with a heavy oil obtained by destructive hydrogenation of the same coal in the proportion 1:1. Then 1 per cent of zinc dust (calculated on coal) is added to the coal paste. The coal paste is A process for the treatment of distillable car-V bonaceous materials with added hydrogen or an added gas containing free hydrogen at an elevated temperature between 200 and 700 C. and alpressure inl excess of 20 atmospheres,. having at least 100 cubic meters of hydrogen present per ton of carbonaceous material treated, which comprises etleoting said treatment in the Vpresence as a catalyst of a ne granular free metal selected A:from the group consisting or aluminum, magnalium and aluminum-bronze, nely distributed in the carbonaceous material treated, and between 0.01 and 1% with reference to the amount of the `said carbonaceous material of a nonmetallic substance comprising free halogen or.

hydrogen halide, the halogen portion of said nonmetallic substance being selected from the group consisting of chlorine and bromine.

MATHIAS PIER. WALTER SIMON. GEORG GRASSL.

e maximum 

